Mitsubishi Electric has released details of its new recycling programme for its range of air conditioning and photovoltaic modules to ensure that the maximum amount of raw materials can be recovered and returned back to the supply chain.

The company has developed a comprehensive ‘end of life’ recycling programme with Overton Recycling Ltd of Stourbridge with a free of charge collection of air conditioning equipment to Mitsubishi Electric customers, subject to conditions.

Overton is also able to accept returned systems with refrigerant pumped back to the outdoor unit and will arrange free collection from almost any site in the UK during normal business hours.

“Recycling is one of our core corporate commitments and forms part of the way we do business through our Green Gateway philosophy,” explains Debbie Reeve, marketing manager for Mitsubishi Electric’s corporate solutions and air conditioning products.

“Many of our corporate customers have been asking for a recycling scheme and we believe that this is not only the right thing for a responsible manufacturer to do, but that it makes sound economic sense as well,” she adds.

Overton has developed a sophisticated recycling plant at its West Midlands site where individual metals and components are stripped from old units and processed to maximise the amount of raw materials that can be recovered.

An online, easy to operate product take-back software tool, designed specifically for Mitsubishi Electric customers is available via www.recycling.mitsubishielectric.co.uk.

Overton has been recycling fridges and cold rooms since 2002. More recently, it developed the redundant air conditioning recycling equipment programme in conjunction with Mitsubishi Electric to offer an easy and certified route for the disposal of end of life equipment.

“We are delighted to be working with Mitsubishi Electric to help dispose of obsolete kits in an environmentally friendly way,” comments Dean Overton, Managing Director, Overton Recycling. “Mitsubishi Electric’s forward thinking approach to recycling demonstrates its commitment to ensure that equipment containing R22 gas is disposed of responsibly by 2015 and we look forward to a long and successful working relationship,” he ends.

Overton will collect any equipment, regardless of the brand, for Mitsubishi Electric account holders or its Corporate clients. The specialist recycling process ensures that 99.1 per cent of all materials are recovered and recycled, and the company can also prepare and submit reports to the Environment Agency on behalf of customers.

With high pressures and the volumes of gas contained in air conditioning systems, careful handling and degassing by F-gas compliant operators is critical. Once degassed, units are stripped by hand and then processed into the individual raw materials for reuse.

“We have worked with Overton as part of our 3 R’s approach to manufacturing as we are committed to reducing the amount of resources we use in our products in the first place, and we already incorporate and reuse recycled materials in our manufacturing process,” explains Reeve.

“Recycling and processing end of life equipment responsibly to recover the maximum amount of raw materials is the final part of that process and is simply the way we believe all manufacturers should behave.”